Project DOGS
by baja-king
Summary: A man's best friend is his DOGS.


"I think I smell snow," sighed Heidi as she lay down in the small wooden structure that temporarily served as an abode.

Gerta sighed, "Don't start that again. This is bloody Germany. It always snows."

Hans yipped, "That's a common misconception."

Wolfgang snapped, "Knock it off! Caporal LeBeau will be here any moment. You know the drill."

Heidi asked, "Why do we have German names?"

Hans stared at her incredulously and replied, "Seriously? You want Jerry to shout, here Emily! Here Thomas!"

"Codenames only," snarled Wolfgang. "Here he comes. Remember: give him no trouble."

The four dogs patiently waited while one doghouse slowly raised, revealing the tunnel entrance. Tails wagged at the smell of corned beef. Some of the handlers saved scraps for the guard dogs, but Wolfgang appreciated the gift when it came from LeBeau. The prisoners managed alright. Wolfgang fancied the delicacy that came from a Red Cross parcel.

LeBeau whispered, "I don't have much for you tonight. There's a war on. I'll keep trying."

Wolfgang looked into LeBeau's eyes. Sometimes, he wished he was allowed to tell LeBeau it was alright. He could not smile like a human so his eyes softened and he raised his paw. He allowed the Frenchman a brief paw shake. Humans liked doing that for some strange reason and it was not beyond Wolfgang's dignity to allow the exchange.

"You're the best," smiled LeBeau. "I'll be back."

After LeBeau left, Wolfgang looked towards the east. The faint glimmer of the morning sun did not yet reach the horizon but the sky lightened from dark blue to yellow. The subtle shades in between eluded the leader of the pack. He remembered his training: orange. He did not understand the color. He did understand black, brown, white, blue, yellow, and green. Orange was one of the in-betweens that avoided him.

Gerta said, "Olsen will be here soon."

Wolfgang snapped, "Everyone get ready!"

"Yes sir," Hans professionally replied.

Heidi spoke in singsong, "Yesterday I was a German shepherd; today I'm an Alsatian wolf dog."

Gerta moaned, "Oh, somebody definitely needs to be fixed." She sniffed the air and said, "Five hundred feet and closing."

Hans said, "Our contact is in the woods. She's waiting at Dewclaw 9."

The four dogs readied for the chase as humans assembled for the morning tradition known as roll call. Sirens blared and the kennel gate opened. Wolfgang took the lead as the pack raced through camp out the main gate. He snarled, "Make sure they have time to trade places."

Heidi barked, "We're not stupid."

Hans shouted, "Rabbit!"

Heidi stopped, "Where?" She tried sniffing but lost her concentration when Gerta crashed into her. She growled, "How dare you!"

Wolfgang turned around and snapped, "Move out!"

The four dogs continued as a pack. Usually, they stayed together, but this morning Hans veered away from the group. He made his way into the woods until he reached Dewclaw 9. Laying patiently next to the tree was his contact, a female Rough Collie. He said, "Good morning, Lassie."

"Aye, 'tis morning but not a good one with all that gunfire," sighed Lassie.

Hans asked, "What's the message?"

"Timmy's in the well," replied Lassie.

Hans groaned, "Who comes up with these code phrases?"

Lassie eagerly replied, "I think it's a marvelous thing to say. Why, when this war is over, I'm going to Hollywood to star in motion pictures. I'll prance around barking, Timmy's in the well!"

Hans disregarded the silly remark and said, "Thanks, Miss. Be careful. Cheerio."

"Cheerio," said Lassie.

Hans made a hasty retreat back to his pack and relayed the message. He waited patiently for instructions when something tantalized his nose. It was absolutely exquisite. He stood fast. He was the best sniffer in the bunch. The pack could not afford the distraction. He wanted to give chase. _I'm a good dog._

With the turn of a head Heidi cried, "Rabbit!" The two females took off and the males caught up easily. Heidi had the rabbit and spoke in a muffled voice, "Grr, mine. Get your own."

Gerta snapped, "You know the rules! Give it to me!"

Wolfgang shouted, "It's MINE!" As the three dogs cowered, Heidi dropped the rabbit. With his powerful jaws, Wolfgang sliced the rabbit into four pieces. He took the best piece for himself and dictated who received the remaining portions.

Schultz approached and said, "Tsk, tsk. You didn't save any for me?" The four dogs growled at him. He added, "Sorry. The prisoner's been captured. Roust!" The command degenerated into pleas as the dogs returned to their meal. More guards arrived, shaking their heads at the sight.

"Was ist los?"

The four dogs turned and saw Schnitzer. Wolfgang sat at attention as did his team. Normally, Schnitzer did not retrieve the dogs from the woods. The veterinarian took charge and the dogs obediently followed him into camp. Then, they loaded into the truck.

Schnitzer asked, "Well?"

Hans said, "Timmy's in the well."

Schnitzer sighed, "Alright, I'll tell Colonel Hogan." The dogs patiently waited in the truck as Schnitzer relayed the message. When he returned, the team decided a nap was in order. Schnitzer smiled, "You've earned a good rest."

Wolfgang sleepily said, "All in a day's work."

Schnitzer played a small part in the Underground. He ferried persons escaping Germany. He relayed messages in the most unusual ways. The Gestapo became expert at detecting radios. London asked him to take charge of a special team. When the team arrived, Schnitzer thought he lost his marbles. The team members began speaking fluent English and reasonable German. He long since stopped wondering how the canines learned to speak. The Gestapo would never interrogate a dog.

 _Detect, Observe, Guard, and Sense_ , more commonly known as Project DOGS. The incredible and ambitious joint venture between the Office of Strategic Services and Special Operations Executive remained top secret. Both agencies remained dedicated to finding ways to end the war as quickly as possible.


End file.
